Cap for hydrants.



W. s. REED.

GAP FOB HYDBANTS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 12. 190B.

969,905, Patented sepn13,191o.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. REED, OF IIEOMINSTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAP FOR HYDRANTS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentd Sept, 13, 1910,

Application filed December 12, 1908.

Serial No. 467.224.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM linnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leominster', county of Voi-cester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Caps for Hydrants, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to caps for the nipples of hydrants, and the object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of cap which permits it to be unlocked and removed from the nipple with only a slight movement of the wrench or other implement used for removin(r the cap.

The nipples 0I hydrants for connecting the fire hose thereto are always exteriorly screw-threaded to receive the interiorly screw-threaded coupling member' on the end of the hose pipe, and so far as I am aware the caps whlch normally cover the nipples when the hydrant is not in use are provided with interior screw-threads and are screwthreaded to the nipple. The screw-threaded part of the nipple is usually of considerable lergth and the hydrant caps are made of su cient length to cover the entire screwthreaded portion of the nipple. As a result the operation of removing any cap necessitates the unscrewing of the ca for the entire length of the nipple, which operation obviously consumes considerable time; and at a lire when every second counts it is a matter of great importance to be able to remove the ca from the hydrant without any delay. y invention aims to accomplish this object by providing a cap with a locking device which firmly holds the cap in place but which is adapted to be released by a slight movement of the wrench or other implement with which the cap is removed.

My invention also includes a cap provided with a portion to protect the screw-threads of the nipple from injury, and a guiding device to assist in guiding the cap as it is placed onto or removed from the nipple.

My improved locking device may be constructed in various ways without departing from the invention. In one form of the invention it is arranged to act on the exterior of the nipple. In another form of the invention it is arranged to act on the interior of the nipple. Embodiments of both of these forms of the invention have been shown in the drawings.

Figure 1 is a View showing in vertical section a nipple and cap therefor embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a section of the cap with the guiding device omitted; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing another embodiment of my invention; Fig. 4 is a View of the cap shown in Fig. 3 showing the body of the cap in section and the guiding member in elevation.

A portion of a hydrant is shown at 3, said hydrant having the usual nipple 4f extending therefrom which is provided with the eXterior screw-threads 5.

6 is the cap which fits over the nipple, it being open at one end and closed at the other as at 8 as usual. The cap is also provided with a wrench-receiving portion 9 which is adapted to receive a wrench or any suitable implement for the purpose of locking the cap to or unlocking it from the nipple. In Fig. l I have shown the cap as provided with a locking device which is adapted to engage the exterior of the nipple. This device 1s 1n the form of a rib 10 which preferably has a shape to fit the screw-threads 5. This rib extends only part way around the interior wall of the cap, as seen in Fig. 2, and is so arranged that by a partial turn of the cap the rib will engage one of the screw-threads on the nipple and will thus firmly hold the nipple in place. The portion 12 of the cap between the rib and the open end thereofl has an interior diameter substantially equal to or slightly greater than that of the screwthreaded portion of the nipple so that when the cap is in place this portion 12 covers the screw -threads 5 and thoroughly protects them from injury. A cap made in this manner can be applied to the nipple by inserting it over the screw-threaded portion until the rib l0 comes into engagement with the screw-threads 5, and then turning the cap sufficiently to cause the rib to interlock with the threads. The cap may be removed from the nipple by simply giving it a partial turn sufficient to withdraw the rib from the threads. In order that the cap may be applied to the nipple without any danger of jamming the threads I have provided said cap with a guiding ldevice 13 which enters the nipple and holds it .in proper position so4 designed toact on'the interior of the nipple. In' thisv embodiment the cap isprovldedwith the protecting portion 12,'as above described,`

and is also providedwithsuitablemeans, as the .wrench-receiving proj ectionl 9,. tolreceive thewrench or otherftool vfor .applying the capto the nipple. The -cap'is provided/with` the centering or guiding device 13 as in the` first-described embodiment, and. either the` centering orsguiding device or the nipplehas the. grooves therein which"y are adapted kto receive projections extendingl from the other A A In the specific embodiment herein` shown the grooves are 1nj the centering orY part.

guiding device and are designated 14, while the projections are formed on the nipplev and are designated 15; this .location of the grooves and projections might 'be reversed without `departing from the invention. The grooves extend longitudinally' of said cen teringor guiding deviceand terminate at their inner end in a groove 16 which extends ci-rcumferentially of the centering or guiding device.V This grooveV 16 may have.in. clined walls .20 'adjacent .the grooves 14. In'

applying acapof'this construction to Vthe nipple the cap is, positionedl so that the grooves 14 arealined with the projections 15,.'and v`said ca'pjis then `inserted'over the nipple .untilthe .projections are inline with the groove =16when. the capis given a partia'l lturn Vto loclrit to the nipple. -The inf clined walls 20 .serve as. a cam to .tightenthe cap against `the end of the nipple.l The cap mayY be removed by merely Ygiving the.

lwrench-'receiving portion 9 'a partial turn in the opposite direction sufficient to bring the projections 15 into alinement with the grooves 14 and Vtheny withdrawing the `cap longitudinally. j

In both' forms of the invention I have providedfthe cap with va locking. device which engages the .nipple vand which can be.

disengaged therefrom byV a .partial Aturn of the wrench-'receiving portion of the cap. The cap also includesv the protecting portion to protectthe screw threads and the centering or guiding ydeviceto properly center the cap, and lguide it in its movements onto or ofi' Afrom'the nipple. In the embodiment shown inl Fig. 3 the guiding or centering device is locked to the cap body so as to turn therewith, this being necessary because the locking' of thecap to the nipple involves turning the :centering device. The centering devicevmay be locked to the cap body by a pin or projection In both forms of my invention herein shown the cap is tightened by a screwv cam action.

Although the invention has been described as itvwouldbe used in connection with a. hydrant nipple, yet it will be obvious that t-he invention mightbe embodied in other vnipples that require a cap `for closing them.

Having fully describedmy invention, what I claim'as newl and desire -to secure-by Letters Patent is i 1. The combination with a'screwethreaded nipple',y of a cap-therefor havinggadjacent Lthe open end thereof 'a cylindrical' portion separated from butoverlying. and protecting the screw-threads of-"the nipple,A and i alsov havingon its interior 'adjacent its vclosed end 5 lockingmeans to hold said cap in place, said locking means being Aconstructed to be released from the nippler` by a `partial turn of the cap;

2. The combination witha screw-threaded nipple, of a cap therefor havingon itsv interior'locking means to interlock with thenip-` ple for holding said cap in place, said lockling means beingconstructed to be released from the nipple by a. partial turn of thecap, `said lcap also having a centering rdevice of av` size to it the interior of the nipple and situated to center the nipple when the cap is applied thereto.

3. The combination with ascrew-threaded nipple, of a cap ltherefor.havingadjacent the, open end thereof a cylindricalpportion'separated vfrom but overlyingYand protect-ing the screw-threads of vthe nipple, and .also having on its interior locking vmeans to en-. gage lthe nipple for holding said :cap 'in place, said 4cap *beingl` provided withapor tion to receive a wrench,` andsaid locking means being constructed to be released from 110 the nipple by a partial turnof-the wrenchreceiving portion'of the cap.v

4. A hydrant cap having an: annular flange to set over the nipple of a hydrant and protect the screw threads' thereof, and 115 also havingan inner longitudinallyextending portion adapted .to enter the nipple when the cap is in place, and a lock for locking the cap .to the nipple, said lock being sustained `byy the capand situated be'- 120 tween said flange .and .the inner longitudinally-extending n portion.

5. The .combination with a nipplehaving exterior screw threads, of a cap` therefor provided with an eXteriorlflange to set' over 125 the nipple and protect the screw threads, and also provided withanA inner centering portionto enter the nipple whenthe .cap is placedthereon, said centering portion being4 detachable from the cap.

6. The combination with a screw-threaded nume to this specification, in the presence of nipple, of a cap therefoli' haviig :L flalge t two subscribing Witnesses. overlie the screw threnc s of tie nipp e an w 1 protect the same, locking means to hold the WILLIAM s REED 5 cup in place, and means to Guide the cap in Witnesses:

its movement onto and off rom the nipple. LoUIs C. SMITH,

In testimony whereof, I have signed my THOMAS J. DRUMMOND. 

